Life expectancy in Pakistan climbs to 67.3 years from 65.7 years

The life expectancy in the country has increased from 65.7 years in 2015 to 67.3 years in 2022, according to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2023-24. 

This improvement was attributed to efforts towards healthcare, including infrastructure and investment in preventive medicine. 

According to the survey report, a wide range of government initiatives, such as the program for the elimination of Hepatitis, the control of diabetes, and the expanding immunisation programmes contributed to the increase in life expectancy.

“There has been a significant improvement in all indicators, indicating a better overall profile of Pakistan's health sector,” the economic survey presented by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday stated. 

Despite the increase, current life expectancy was still behind the South Asian regional average of 71.6 years.

The survey showed a comparison of indicators between 2015 and 2022, depicting notable progress in child stunting decreased from 41 percent to 34 percent.

Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus (DPT) immunisation increased from 72 percent of children in 2015 to 85 percent of children aged 12-23 months in 2022. 

The report admitted that Pakistan was spending only 1 percent of its GDP on healthcare, lower than the 3.1 percent South Asian average. 

Moreover, the infant mortality rate in 2021 was 30.8 per 1000 live births, while the mortality rate of children under five years stood at 37.1 per 1000,  which was lower than countries in South Asia. 

In 2023, to enhance the medical facilities across the country, Pakistan registered as many as 299,113 doctors, 36,032 dentists, 127,855 nurses, 46,110 midwives, and 24,022 lady health workers. 

However, a significant improvement was seen in the overall profile of Pakistan’s healthcare sector.